Material handling method



E. H. cAssoN 3,369,681

MATERIAL HANDLING METHOD 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 20, 1968 Filed oct. 2o, 1965 Feb. 20, 1968 I E. H. cAssoN MATERIAL HANDLING METHOD 5 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed 0G12. 20, 1965 INVENTOR' fle/VES 7 H CAS-50N A T Toe/v6 ys.

Feb. 20, 1968 E. H. cAssON 3,369,681

MATERIAL HANDLING METHOD Filed oct. 2o, 1965 5 sheets-sheet a INVENTOR. ERNEST CASSO/V A T TURA/EMS'.

United States Patent O 3,369,681 MATERIAL HANDLING METHOD Ernest H. Casson, 1075 Broadway, San Francisco, Calif. 94133 Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,897 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-152) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Metal ore including a substantial amount of iines is transported from an ore deposit to a smelter at a remote location in closed containers which are composed of the metal to be recovered from the ore. The closed containers with their contents are deposited together in the smelter. The metal for fabricating the containers is transported to'the site of the ore deposit in ingot form and is fabricated into containers at that site. A special pallet is used to group a plurality of the filled containers to form a package for shipment.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for handling and shipping raw materials which include fines, and, more particularly, relates to methods of handling such materials and shipping them from a raw material source to a processing furnace at a remote location, and to pallet systems useful in performing such methods.

Large ore deposits are usually 'found far away from the smelter where the ore is melted to recover the metal from the ore. In fact, often the larger ore deposits are hundreds, or even thousands, of miles from the smelting furnace. Thus, it is customary to ship the ore from the ore source to the smelter by large Ifreight carriers such as ships or railroad trains.

With the depletion of the previously rich ore reserves, the present trend is toward beneciation and concentration of the ore prior to shipment. This generally requires grinding the ore to a fine, almost powdery, form. The handling and shipping of the finely-ground ore, or metal powder concentrate, creates many problems.

One of the major problems is dust loss. Each time the ore is handled, substantial quantities of the fines drift into the air and are blown away. The problem has been severe with prior art methods because it is generally necessary that the ore be handled many times in loading and unloading the freight carrier, storing the ore near the smelting plant, hatching it into smaller quantities, transporting it to the furnace, and charging the furnace. Moreover, when the ore is stored or shipped in the open, dust loss is a substantial problem if the wind is strong. Not only is dust loss very expensive in terms of lost ore, but the dust pollutes the air for miles around. The undesirability of such air pollution requires no comment. It is even likely that legislation will eventually prevent practice of the prior art methods in many areas unless measures are taken to reduce the air pollution.

A further problem is the difficulty and expense of handling the loose, finely-ground ore. Large power shovels are generally used to load and unload the freight carrier. Not only are these shovels expensive to own and operate, particularly in the larger capacities, but space limitations near the freight carrier loading dock limit :the number of shovels which can operate at one time,

thereby limiting the rate at which the carrier can be loaded and unloaded and increasing the amount of exg pensive dock time of the freight carrier.

ICC

veyor are quite expensive and are limited with respect to the angle of incline on which they can operate.

Still another problem occurs at the time of charging the finely-ground raw materials into the smelting furnace. In the case of iron ore, for example, it is impractical to introduce the concentrate into the blast furnace in loose powder form because of the high velocity of the rising gas stream in the furnace. Consequently, the industry has resorted to sintering the concentrate in large pelletizing lfurnaces before feeding it to the blast furnace. Needless to say,.this adds considerably to the expense oi recovering the iron.

The method which comprises this invention eliminates some of these problems and substantially reduces the others. Broadly, the method comprises the steps of forming a plurality of containers composed primarily of the type of metal to berecovered from the raw materials, enclosing the raw material in the containers at the raw material source location, shipping the closed containers of raw materials from the raw material source location to the vicinity of the remote furnace by freight carrier, and charging the furnace with the closed containers of raw material to melt the containers and raw material for recovering the metal from them.

Since the raw materials are enclosed in containers from the time of leaving the source location until they are inside the smelting furnace, the problems of dust loss and the need for sintering the concentrate into pellets are eliminated. Since the containers are closed, they may be stored in the open without `fear of weather damage or wind loss. Thus, c g. while loose ore generally has been shipped only in the hold of a ship, the closed containers of ore may be stored both in the hold and on the deck. This considerably increases the effective capacity of the ship and reduces the freight cost.

Even though the containers are melted in the furnace with the raw materials, the method is economical because the containers are composed primarily of the type of metal to be recovered from the raw materials so that the metal of the containers is recovered with the metal ineluded in the ore.

In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes the steps of palletizing the containers of raw material before shipment, to form a plurality of packages of filled containers, and depalletizing the packages before charging the furnace so that the containers are fed individually to the furnace. This facilitates handling with large equipment while retaining the advantage of controlling the charge to the furnace by metering the quantity of the individual containers charged.

Further, this invention includes a pallet system which is particularly useful in connection with the method of this invention. Preferably, the pallet system includes upper and lower pallets comprising llat plates adapted to be placed above and below a load, an elongate connecting rod adapted to extend between the centers of the upper and lower pallets through the load, means removably connecting the rod to the pallets for holding the pallets against the load, and means on the upper end of the rod adapted to be engaged by a lifting means for lifting the palletized load.

This pallet system is designed to occupy a minimum of space per unit of weight for facilitating shipment of the pallet materials to the raw material source location. Yet, the completed package is strong enough to withstand rough handling.

These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed 3 description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic How diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the method which comprises this inven tion;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a preferred embodiment of the container for enclosing the raw materials;

FIG. 3 is a view of the pallet system interconnecting a plurality of containers to form a package;

FIG. 4 is a section taken generally along line 4 4 of FIG. 3 showing the arrangement of the containers in the palletized package; and,

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a palletizing system constructed in accordance with another embodiment of this invention.

Referring to FIG. l, a source of raw materials, such as metal ore, including a substantial percentage of nes is located a long distance from a smelting plant at which the ore is to be fed to a furnace 2 for recovering the metal from the ore. Cans 4 or containers for enclosing the ore to ship it to the smelter are formed at a can making station 6 at the ore source location. The cans are made from metal composed substantially entirely of the same type of metal which is to lbe recovered from the ore, for example iron or a steel alloy may be used in the case of iron ore.

A suitable can 4 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The can includes an elongate cylindrical side S which may be formed, for example, either by impact extrusion or by rolling thin sheet metal and spot welding or stapling the seam, depending on the characteristics of the metal used in making it. The can-making machinery may be of any known type and its details are not part of this invention. The bottom 10 of the can may be formed integrally with the cylindrical side 8 if the can is impact extruded. Alternatively, it may be Stamped from sheet metal as a separate piece, and spot welded or stapled onto the side to form a relatively tight container. The can cover or cap 12 includes a circular top and a downwardly extending cylindrical lip 14 which fits tightly over the top 16 of the can to provide a dust seal without the need for spot welding or other positive connection to the can. The cover 12 may be formed in the same manner as the can.

Referring again to FIG. l, the cans 4, with their covers 12 not yet in place, are transported from the can-making station 6 to an ore ll and seal station 18 at which they are iilled with ore in any known manner, such as by the use of a hopper and chute arrangement. The caps 12 are placed on the filled cans 4 manually or by automatic machinery, whichever is more economical for the particular situation.

From the ore fill and seal station 18, the filled, closed containers 4 are conveyed to a multiple can assembly station where a plurality of the closed containers are interconnected and palletized to form a package 22 of containers suitable for handling with heavy equipment.

An exemplary package 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, includes identical upper 24 and lower 26 metal .pallets each of which includes a hexagonal iiat plate 28 with a lip 30 formed around its periphery. The lower pallet 26 is placed with its lip 30 extending upwardly, and a tier of cans is placed on the pallet in abutting relationship as shown in FIG` 4. A circular recess 32 of approximately the same diameter as a container 4 is formed at the center of each pallet plate 28. A small aperture 34 is formed through the center of the recessed portion 32 of the plate 28.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, sixty cans 4 are placed on the lower pallet 26 to form the bottom tier. A second similar tier of cans is then placed on top of the lower tier andthe upper pallet 24 is set on top of the upper tier with the lip 30 of the pallet extending downwardly around the caps 12 of the cans. An elongate connecting rod 36 is inserted through the aligned apertures 3l in the upper pallet 24 and lower pallet 26. The rod 3-6 is retained in place by a pin 38 which is removably inserted through an opening in the lower end of the connecting rod 36 to engage the recessed portion 32 of the lower pallet plate 28 and retain the rod against upward removal from the pallets.

An eyelet or bail 40 integrally formed at the upper end of the connecting rod 36 is larger than the aperture 34 in the upper pallet and, therefore, its lower surface forms a shoulder 35 which engages the upper pallet recessed portion 32 to prevent the connecting rod 36 from passing further downward through the pallets. The eyelet 40 serves both as an engaging means for lifting the palletized package 22 and as a connecting means for tying down the package when it is stored on the deck of a ship. The package is further stabilized by a strap 42 which is stretched around the package at the intersection of the two tiers and its ends joined in the seam 43 of conventional type.

The package 22 of closed containers is conveyed to a loading station 44 where it is loaded on a large freight carrier, for example a barge or ship 46 if a navigable waterway is available, or a railroad car if more convenient. Either a belt conveyor or a trolley conveyor may be used. A large number of the packages are stacked sideby-side and one on top of the other on the freight carrier, both below and above deck if the carrier is a ship or barge.

The loaded carrier 46 is then transported from the ore source location to the remote smelting plant location where it is unloaded at an unloading station 48 using, for example, a boom on the carrier 46 to lift the packages oif the barge, and a trolley conveyor 50 to convey them to a storage station 52. At the storage station the packages continue on the trolley conveyor 54 which runs on a horizontal semi-gantry pivoting over a storage station on a ground mounted circular track 56. T he packages 22 may be stacked at the storage station 52 in an arrangement which maximizes the utilization of space.

The packages are conveyed from the storage station 52 to the furnace 2, e.g. by a trolley conveyor 58, in accordance with the demand for ore. At the furnace 2, a package of containers 22 is deposited at an ejection station 60 above the furnace 2. There the package is disassembled by cutting the strap 42, and removing the pin 38 and connecting rod 36 to release the pallets 24, 26. The cans 4 then are dumped into the furnace without uncapping them so that the cans and ore are smelted together, recovering the metal from both of them. The rate at which the individual cans are fed to the furnace is metered to regulate the charging rate.

In some instances, particularly with respect to blast furnaces, the smelter temperatures are suicient to melt the thin container 4 before it has descended into the zone of tackiness, so that there is still danger of the ne particles .being entrained with the rising gas stream in the furnace 2. In these instances a slurry is sprayed inside the container before it is lled with ore, so that a crust lining is obtained to delay liberation of the tine concentrate. On the other hand, in other processes it is desirable to release the ore inside of the furnace prior to reaching the containers fusion temperature. This is achieved by stapling the container at the seams using fusible fasteners with a low melting point. Thus, the container may be designed to release the tine materials at any desired temnerature, and at any desired process zone.

Sometimes it is desirable to charge the furnace at a faster rate than is obtained by feeding individual cans 4. In such instances the pallets 24, 26, connecting rod 36, and strap 42 may also be made of the type metal which is to be recovered from the smelter so that the package 22 need not be disassembled at the ejection station 60 but may be fed to the furnace as a unit for smelting of the entire package including the ore contained in it.

A small portion of the metal recovered from the furnace, with or without additional processing depending on the characteristics of the metal, is then shipped back to the ore source -location on the carrier 46 in the form of sheets or ingots. The pallets 24, 26 and connecting rods 36 recovered from the ejection station, or new pallets and rods if the entire package was smelted, are also returned on the carrier 46. Then, the cycle is repeated with additional ore using the returned metal for making additional cans 4 at the ore source location.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternative embodiment of the pallet system is illustrated. The cans 4 and caps 12 used with this embodiment are identical to those illustrated in FIG. 2. The upper 62 and lower pallets 64 are also similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, except for differences at the center of the pallets as will be described below.

The lower pallet 64 includes a circular recessed area 66 at its center and an aperture 68 through the recessed area. An aperture 70 formed through the center of the upper pallet 62 is bounded by a down-turned circular lip 72. A hollow elongate connecting rod 74 has an outwardly extending lip 75 formed at its lower end to engage the underside of the recessed portion 66 of the lower pallet 64 when the rod is inserted upward through the pallet. This limits upward movement of the rod 74 through the aperture 68 and forms a bearing surface for transmitting the weight of the cans from the lower pallet 64 to the rod 74 when the load is lifted. The down-turned lip 72 on the upper pallet 62 is smaller in diameter than the connecting rod 74 so that the lip 72 nests in the upper portion of the connecting rod. An upwardly extending ear 76 on the top of the connecting rod is inserted through a slot 78 formed in the upper pallet 62 adjacent its central opening 70. A wedge or holding block 82 is forced through an aperture 80 in the ear 76 to tightly retain the uper pallet in place.

A trunnion 84 which is connected to an overhead trolley conveyor or crane by engagement of a hook or bolt (not shown) in an aperture 85, is inserted downward into axial bore 87 in the center of the connecting rod 74. A latch 86, pivotally mounted on the trunnion 84 by a pin 88, has at its lower end a protrusion 90 which extends radially outward from the sides of the trunnion and engages a downward facing shoulder surface 92 on the underside of an internal annular boss 93 interior of the connecting rod for lifting the package. The shoulder surface 92 is inclined upwardly and outwardly to provide a good connection. 'I'he latch 86 is biased outward to the engaging position by a spring 94, and is cammed radially inward as the trunnion 84 is inserted into the rod 74 by the upper edge 98 of the internal boss 93 which engages the lower face 96 of the protrusion. The latch 86 includes an upper extension or arm 100 which is adapted to be engaged by a striker 102 to pivot the latch 84 about the pin 88 and retract the protrusion 90 from engagement with the downward facing shoulder 92, thereby releasing the trunnion 84 from the package 22.

The embodiment of the pallet system illustrated in FIG. 5 is particularly useful in automated plants, where the striker 102 is fixed at the desired depositing location so that the package is automatically released at the proper spot.

It should be understood that the above description is only exemplary of this invention, and the invention should be limited only in accordance with the following claims.

I claim:

1. A method of handling raw materials, such as metal ore, including lines and shipping the materials from a raw material source location to a remote furnace for processing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a plurality of containers composed primarily of the type of metal to be recovered from the raw materials;

(b) enclosing the raw materials in the containers at the raw material source location;

(c) shipping the closed containers of raw materials from the raw material source location to the vicinity of the remote furnace by freight carrier; and,

(d) charging the furnace with the closed containers of raw materials to melt the containers and the raw materials for recovering the metal from them.

2. A method of handling metal ore, or similar raw materials, including fines and shipping the materials from a raw material source location to a remote furnace for processing, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a plurality of containers composed primarily of the type of metal to be recovered from the raw materials;

(b) enclosing the raw materials in the containers at the raw material source location;

(c) palletizing the containers of raw material to form a plurality of packages each including a plurality of filled containers;

(d) shipping the packages from the raw material source location to the vicinity of the remote furnace by freight carrier; and,

(e) charging the furnace with the closed containers of raw materials to melt the containers and the raw materials for recovering the metal from them.

3. A method of handling and shipping metal ore, or similar raw materials, in accordance with claim 2 wherein the packages are depalletized before charging the furnace so that the containers are fed individually to the furnace.

4. A method of handling and shipping metal ore, or similar raw materials, in accordance with claim 2 where- (a) the pallets are composed primarily of the type of metal to be recovered from the raw materials; and (b) each package is charged to the furnace as a unit so that the pallets, containers and raw materials are all melted to recover the metal from them.

5. A method of handling raw materials including fines and shipping the raw'materials from a raw material source location to a processing furnace at' a remote location, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a plurality of containers at the raw material source location, said containers being cornposed substantially entirely of products of the processing furnace;

(b) enclosing the raw materials in the containers at the raw material source location;

(c) shipping the closed containers of raw materials from the raw material source location to the vicinity of the remote furnace by freight carrier;

(d) charging the furnace with the closed containers of raw materials to melt the containers and the raw materials together; and

(e) shipping a portion of the products obtained from the furnace process to the raw material source location to repeat the cycle.

6. A method of handling metal ore including fines and shipping it from an ore source location to a remote smelter when the ore is processed to recover metal, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) shipping pallets and metal from the smelting plant to the ore source location, said metal being composed primarily of the type of metal to be recovered from the smelting process;

(b) forming the shipped metal into a plurality of containers at the source location, said containers being designed to automatically release their contents when heated to a pre-selected desired temperature;

(c) filling said containers with the metallic ore and closing the filled containers;

(d) interconnecting a plurality of the containers of ore with the pallets to form a plurality of packages;

(e) stacking the packages on a freight carrier and shipping them to a location near the smelting plant;

(f) unloading the packages from the freight carrier References Cited and storing them at a storage station; (g) removing the pallets to separate the individual UNITED STATES PATENTS lled containers; .a1-1d, 935,686 10/1909 Pl'nCe. (h) feeding the containers of ore to a smelter for 5 `3,120,248 2/ 1964 Gregory. processing of the containers together with the ore 3,206,047 9/ 1965 Rosenak.

to recover the metal from the containers and the Ore. ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner. 

